Thursday, June 14, 2012

What Aquino calls as “new juncture” in Philippine relations with the
US seems to revolve chiefly on the Philippine role in maintaining the
Pacific as an American Lake.By MARYA SALAMATBulatlat.com

MANILA – While President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was in the
United States for a state visit, progressive groups in the US and in the
Philippines held protest actions to condemn what they call as his
“treachery” and “shameless puppetry.”

“In a time when the Philippines should have been asserting its
sovereignty and charting an independent foreign policy, Aquino is
groveling to the US for economic and military aid in exchange for the
transformation of the entire country into a US military outpost in
Southeast Asia,” said Renato Reyes, secretary general of Bayan.

At a protest rally in front of the US Embassy in Manila on June 8, Reyes said there is nothing to be proud of
in Aquino’s visit to the US and talks with US President Barack Obama,
“because it’s not a talk between friends.” He added that a “real friend
doesn’t use or take advantage of his friend, like what the US has been
doing to its ‘treaty partner,’ the Philippines.”

The protesters burned an image of the United States flag with
pictures of Obama and Aquino. Due to demands from protesters and the
media covering the rally, the group burned another Obama-Aquino poster
before voluntarily marching away from the US embassy after holding a
program.

Philippines as US outpost in Asia-Pacific

On his three-day visit in the US, Aquino had a one-on-one talk with
US President Barack Obama in the White House, lunch with US State
Secretary Hillary Clinton in the State Department and a meeting with US
Senator Richard Lugar. The latter authored a resolution calling for
increased defense and security cooperation with the Philippines. It was
unanimously approved in the US Senate in time for Aquino’s state visit.

One of the emblems of US-Phl special relations burned in front of US Embassy in Manila June 8. (Photo by Marya Salamat / bulatlat.com)

In a statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
described the official visit accorded by the Obama government to Aquino
as “a reward for his close cooperation with the US imperialists to help
fortify its power in the Asia-Pacific region at the expense of the
Filipino people’s sovereignty and its right to self-determination.”

Indeed, the Philippine government under Aquino has agreed to
‘cooperate’ with the US on its “rebalancing” or greater focusing of
forces and engagement to Asia-Pacific region, under which by 2020
American military officials say they shall have deployed in the region
three-fifths of its fleet. In various top-level talks with American
government this year, the Aquino government has agreed to host, even
invited, the US’ increased “rotational” troops, along with its “most
advanced ship, fifth generation aircraft, and the best missile defense
technology,” as Gen. Martin Dempsey, chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff,
described their presence..... MORE